Hermione's Risk
by Lily MJ Fae
Summary: Instead of following her friends after watching their former professor die, Hermione stays behind in the shrieking shack. She reflects over the events and is surprised when her professor is not in fact dead. So she risks everything she can to save him, though she's not sure why she knows she must.


_**A/N:** Hello all, this is an assignment for Hogwarts. This was a fun little story to write._

 ** _Prompts:_**

 _Hogwarts: **Task #1:** Write about someone who sacrifices a lot only to save another person. Extra prompts: Severus Snape, Hogwarts_

 _Quidditch Pitch: She waited for him._

 _Final Word cound: 2,639 (FFN)_

* * *

Though her friends had long since left, Harry to look at the memories, Ron to find his family she assumed, Hermione had stayed in the shrieking shack. She leaned against the wall, her eyes closed as she tried to calm down and breathe. He had killed their headmaster. He had tried to turn Harry in, yet here, when he had the opportunity, he gave her best friends memories, and simply asked for Harry to look at him. Something in her told her that there was more to her potions professor than he ever let on.

So she sat, regretting that he died the way he had, and that no one would ever realize what he did to himself to save her friend, to save the wizarding world. She debated with herself about levitating him to the castle, to lay with the wounded and dead, but realized that no one would understand why she did. So she sat, thinking about how messed up fate was.

She wasn't sure how much of the hour Voldemort had promised had passed while she sat there, but as she sat, lost in her mind, she was startled when she heard a choked cough.

She drew her wand, ready for the battle that surely awaited her, until she heard the sound again and looked at Severus. He coughed again, but his eyes remained closed.

She jumped to her feet in an instant and was by his side a moment later. She didn't really know what she was doing, her body had just reacted on its own. She opened her charmed bag and reached in, but decided against wasting precious minutes trying to find what she was seeking and grabbed her wand.

" _Accio_ antidotes," she murmured, knowing all of her antidotes were in one bag.

Once she had it, she reached in and grabbed the vial she needed. Then she got her professor laying down on his back, his head resting on her lap, before she removed the stopper and poured the contents into his mouth. Then she lifted his head, and helped him swallow, before he coughed some more. She was thankful that the potion managed to make it down his throat first. And yet, he remained completely unconscious.

But from there she was lost. He still had the horrible gashes. She needed professional help. And though she knew it would mean a fight over his wellbeing and whether or not he deserved to be helped, she did the only thing she could think of. She summoned a spare set of sheets from her bag and began to tear them into strips of fabric. She used a thinker section, folded numerous times to act as a gauze and covered the gashes with that before wrapping the strips tightly around him to create enough pressure to hopefully slow the bleeding.

" _Mobilicorpus_ ," she murmured as she stood up. All she had to do was get him to the castle. She knew she could.

She tread carefully, watching as she stepped and watching him, making sure that he didn't bump into any of the walls of the narrow passageway, though she herself bumped into more than one. She finally reached the secret entrance of the passageway, and made to touch the knot that calmed the willow until she saw the man. The man that was more wolf than man, as he had embraced his affliction.

Fenir Greyback stared at her with animal hunger, and she was thankful that Severus remained levitating several feet behind her. Instead, she gently let him lower to the cold, hard ground and turned to face the man. They had been called off. Surely the hour hadn't passed. And yet, Greyback was ready to attack, ready to defy his master. She wasn't surprised in the least bit, and yet she had allowed herself to believe that she would have a blanket of safety until she reached the castle. She was foolish to have let herself enter that thought. This was still a battle, still a war. And now she was prepared to fight as best she could.

She pointed her wand at the man. She was thankful that it was not yet a full moon, though she knew that he still very much acted like a wolf without it.

The only thing standing between him and his prey, her, was the Whomping Willow as it thrashed. He stayed far enough away to avoid its violent branches. In fact, he watched them, and she knew that he was looking for an opening.

 _You can do this, Hermione_ , a voice in the back of her head said. It wasn't her own, yet it was familiar and different all at once. _You are brilliant and powerful. He does not expect that from a girl, much less a muggle born. Use that against him._

She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to steady her hand, but the voice was right. Greyback didn't bother with a wand. He relied on his sheer animosity to paralyze his prey with fear. She knew it worked, she could feel it working on her, but she had a mission. She had to get back to Ron, and she had to make sure that Harry was okay. And she sure as hell wasn't about to let her hard work saving Severus to go to waste.

She hardened herself against her nerves, ignoring the fear and panic trying to course through her veins. She locked eyes with the monster and glared at him. That alone seemed to make him falter, if only for a moment. He hadn't expected the hardened, determined look she had.

She then she fired, casting the spells noverbally. _Confundus! Confringo! Deprimo! Flipendo!_ Despite the flames and wind and numerous spells she cast in his direction, he still kept coming back. She was frantic.

The voice returned, speaking calmly, _Calm down, Hermione. Think. He's a strong man. And he's smart too. He's managing to deflect you. What else can you do?_

Hermione took a breath and looked at her opponent again. She was still watching the violent branches, still waiting for the perfect moment. Even Greyback was afraid of the tree, because the Whomping Willow was fierce and powerful. And even he didn't want to fight it.

She locked eyes with him before grinning, _Levicorpus!_ He was lifted into the air, one foot being held by that invisible force and then she pulled him closer, just as a branch swung by, throwing him farther into the air.

She quickly turned to face her professor, levitating him once more. And then she ran, hitting that knot on the tree as she passed, as the branches hit Greyback far into the forest. She ran, faster than she thought she could, faster than she knew how, stumbling and tripping on the rocks and twigs, but forcing herself to keep upright.

She couldn't turn back to see where Greyback was, she simply ran. And she made it, all the way to the castle. And even then, she barely slowed her pace to adjust for the rubble and debris of the destroyed walls of the school. Severus floated safely behind her, as she put the necessary focus into making sure he floated safely. And then she paused before entering. They would never help him, no matter how she begged. But if she asked for help healing someone, for someone to tell her, then perhaps she could get what she needed. So entered a side door, and it fortunately led to an empty hallway. Upon searching, she found a small broom closet. After clearing it away and transfiguring a few objects into some blankets and pillows, having left her bag behind, she lowered Severus and Left him, locking the door so no one could find him.

Then she ran to the great hall. She searched frantically, wishing that she had already studied medical spells, but she hadn't focused on it nearly as much. She could do the simple stuff, and that was it. Once she spotted Madame Pomphrey, she ran over to the old witch.

"Hermione, my goodness, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No," Hermione managed, panting from the running she had done, "but someone else is. I need to know how to help them."

"Bring them here, we'll do our best, we still have some time."

"No, it's too dangerous. I was already attacked on my way here," she said. It wasn't a lie. And she needed to make sure the mediwitch was convinced. "They have some pretty large gashes. I was able to see to their other wounds, but these are too deep for any of the spells I know and any of the potions I had."

The mediwitch seemed to study Hermione for a moment before turning to her cart of things.

"Give them this blood replenishment potion, if the wounds are as deep as you say, they'll need this for sure." Hermione took the bottles as she was handed them. "The red potion there will help their body begin to close the wounds at a faster rate. They'll scar but they should live. And the last one is a pain relief potion, stronger than most, but it should help."

"Thank you," Hermione said as she turned and ran back towards the abandoned hallway.

* * *

The battle had ended, just as it was meant to. Harry was fine, though she was livid that he had gone to die. And when Ron went to be with his family, she stayed to talk to Harry.

"What did Snape's memories hold?" she asked him softly. She needed to know if she was right, that he had been good the whole time.

"He, he was protecting me. He was my mother's best friend. And he tried to save her, kind of. But he did everything because he hated me and yet loved me. He risked his life for her, and he wasn't going to bring me to Voldemort. He was going to tell me everything. I only wish I could thank him."

Somewhere deep inside, Hermione felt herself breathe a sigh of relief.

"Harry, I need you to follow me."

* * *

"You can't be serious about this, Mione," Ron groaned for the fifth time that week. "Why do you insist on visiting him?"

"I need to ensure that he's getting the care he deserves, because far too many people are thinking like you, Ronald."

He cringed at her use of his full name, because she only used it to scorn him. "You're in all of the papers, Mione, and not in a good way."

"I don't care!" she spat. "Even Harry agrees with me. Don't you want to support your friends, your _girlfriend_?"

It hadn't really been discussed or decided, but after he had thought to save the house elves and she kissed him, they knew what they were to each other.

"You're risking your entire reputation on the dungeon bat! He made our lives hell!"

"I am more than just my reputation, Ronald. I am a powerful witch, and I am one of the three saviors, or have you forgotten than you and Harry would have likely failed starting in first year without me?"

"Look, you can't waste your time on him!"

"Like hell I can't!"

"Then you make a choice, Mione. Because I won't be associated with him. It's him, or me. Are you going to choose your best friend or tormenter?"

She stopped and stared at him in disbelief. The anger in his eyes was real enough for her to know he wasn't joking. She had to decide. She had to pick now.

"Him. I can't be with someone who can't support me and gives me ultimatums."

So many emotions flashed in his eyes. Sorrow, surprise, and rage. It was the rage she saw the most as his mouth twisted and the words came out, cruel and alien from the boy she had once known, "Fine then. But don't come running back to me, ever again."

And then he was gone, stalking away.

* * *

As Hermione sat next to Severus, she began to wonder if she had indeed made the right choice. Two weeks since she saved him and she was broke and lost. She couldn't get a job, because despite her title, she was standing with Harry in his defense of Severus Snape. They couldn't go to trial until Severus woke from the magically induced coma, to heal many more wounds than she had even seen.

So she had nothing. She had so much nothing that she was almost ready to cave and accept Harry's offer to stay with him until she could get herself grounded. But she knew that no matter what, she had to be here for Severus. He might never understand why she helped him, and she might not either, but something in her told her to. And so she listened to that little tug, that little voice that kept telling her she was doing the right thing, thanking her for being a good person. She still couldn't place the voice in her head, but she knew it was someone that she knew, and yet didn't know at all.

So she waited by his bedside, making sure that he received all of the care he needed. She waited for him.

* * *

"I don't know why the two of you did, but I suppose I owe you thanks for your help in clearing my name," Severus said as they left the trial room. His usually snide and rude voice was replaced simply by indifference.

"Well, it would be wrong for them to punish you given what you did for all of us," Harry replied as he made to walk the other way. He was going to start Auror training that day.

"Still," Severus started, almost more lightly, "It is appreciated."

Hermione followed Severus as he made his way towards the exit. She kept quiet, unsure of what to say.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," Severus said after a moment, much more softly than she ever thought him capabale of. He stopped to face her, and she was shocked. "Thank you for not giving up. And thank you for risking your life, though it was not necessary. I was fully prepared to die."

"I couldn't leave you like that. I couldn't let you die. And even without you, I still-"

"You would have followed your friends and not run into Greyback in the first place. Why did you stay behind?"

She blinked at him. Of all of the questions she had expected him to ask, that was not one of them. "I don't-I don't really know. I just-I couldn't go face all of that death yet. I needed to collect myself. I know that Ron destroyed one of the horcruxes and he had planned on me being right behind him, but, something in me refused to move, and so I stayed. I am glad I did though. You needed someone to help you, and I'm glad that I had that instinct. But…how did you know of everything that happened? I didn't use that in the defense, and you were unconscious."

It was his turn to be at a loss for words. "I was in your mind somehow. I wasn't using legilimens. I just was there, the entire time."

"I've never heard of anything like that…" she stated quietly.

"Well, regardless, I'm glad that you were smart enough to listen to me when you needed guidance. Thank you, truly. You have given up too much though, in your attempt to clear my name."

"Doesn't matter much to me anyhow. I think I'll just go back to Hogwarts and finish schooling. That's all I should need to prove my worth again."

"Should you ever need anything, I will do my best to help you."

"Thank you."


End file.
